Rohit, Kohli and others will be fined by BCCI, stars who don’t perform well will face a financial hit
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held a review meeting on January 11 in Mumbai to assess India’s performance in the five-match Test series against Australia. The BCCI is considering introducing a corporate-style performance-based variable pay system, according to an Indian Express report.
Team India suffered a 1-3 loss in the Test series against Australia in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT). Namely, it was the first defeat of the Men in Blue in the test series against Australia since 2014-15. India have also been eliminated from the competition for the 2025 ICC World Test Cup (WTC) finals, to be played in June.
BCCI ready to roll out corporate-style performance-based variable pay – report
Captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar attended the review meeting. During the discussions, a proposal was made to introduce a variable salary structure for players based on performance.
This system would hold players more accountable for their performances, with potential pay cuts if their contributions are deemed subpar. The idea was inspired by corporate appraisal systems that evaluate employee performance. The goal of this move is to encourage consistent and high-quality performance.
“That was one of the suggestions given that the players should be held accountable and if their performance is deemed not up to expectations, they should face variable pay cuts,” a source was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
The BCCI introduced an incentive system for players last year
Last year, the BCCI introduced an incentive system aimed at encouraging players to participate more in Test cricket. Under this system, players who feature in more than 50% of the Tests in the 2022-23 season are awarded 30 lakh rupees per match.
The payout increases to 45 lakh rupees per match for those who play at least 75% of the matches in the season. This incentive was part of a Rs 40 crore fund introduced by the board to promote Test cricket, especially at a time when the T20 format and the IPL have gained significant popularity.
In the meeting, BCCI officials expressed concern over the lack of focus and commitment of some players towards Test cricket. There was a debate about whether the players were indifferent to India’s Test match defeats.
“It was discussed whether the current players were a bit indifferent when India lose a Test match. The team management understands the value of Test cricket but many players don’t attach much importance to it,” the source said.
India have won just three of their 10 Test matches
India’s recent performance in Test cricket has been disappointing. Prior to the series in Australia, India suffered a 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home, ending a 12-year winning streak of 18 series.
India won just three of their 10 Test matches and, for the first time in history, lost a Test series at home to New Zealand. In the five-match Test series against Australia, India initially took a 1–0 lead with a dominant 295-run victory, but they lost three of the next four matches, ending the series with a 1–3 defeat.
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